Mendes admits he had mixed emotions about putting Clay Guida away in August:

“It’s tough because Clay’s my buddy, so it was hard to just turn that off. We’re friends and we like to hang out, so it was tough to turn that off and tell myself, `You’ve got to beat this guy up.’ The goal was to go out there and finish the fight – not just because it was Clay Guida, but because I want to keep racking up those knockouts and those finishes. One thing I was really training for in that fight was the cardio part of it – Clay is known for that, and I focused a lot on that – and in that third round, I still felt great, and I was able to just pinpoint the chin, put one on it, and I was able to put him away.” (PHOTO CREDIT: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports)

Is he focused on the belt or the task in front of him?

“Eventually they’re going to have to give me another shot. I really believe everything happens for a reason. Nik Lentz was the person they put in front of me, and I’m just thankful that I get to fight on this Sacramento card – I wanted to be a part of this with the team and with the guys. I control what I can, like my training, trying to stay healthy, and doing all the positive things I can, and now I just have to get in there and do what I do best.” (PHOTO CREDIT: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports)

Mendes is excited about entertaining his “hometown” fans:

“Hell no! I don’t see it as a distraction at all. It’s so awesome. I got to fight in Sacramento one other time – the only pay-per-view WEC ever did. I took the fight on short notice, so everything was very quick about it, but I remember how convenient everything was. You get to stay comfortable. You’re sleeping in your own bed, you’re not flying anywhere, worried about the time change – I know where all the food is and where I can get it. It makes things so much easier.” (PHOTO CREDIT: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)

What does it mean to Mendes to be fighting alongside teammates Urijah Faber, Danny Castillo, and Joseph Benavidez at the event?

“We’ve talked about it, and this is definitely something that’s very special to us. It’s always awesome being on the same card as your teammates – we’ve done three before where we’ve had a clean sweep, and that’s awesome – but because this one is in Sacramento, this is going to be huge for us. The Sacramento crowd is one of the best crowds I’ve ever fought in front of – they get behind us, get rowdy, and it pumps me up so much. I’m super-pumped to get in there, fight for the Sac-Town crowd, and put on a great show.” (PHOTO CREDIT: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)

Mendes offers up an assessment of Lentz:

“He’s a tough guy, a hard-nosed guy. He wrestled in college at Minnesota – which is a tough wrestling community – and you can see in his fights that he’s a big guy, cutting down from 155 (pounds). He looks pretty strong – when he gets in there and gets a hold of these guys, he kind of stops them for a second – so I’m expecting him to be a big, strong guy, but he seems slow, he’s not very explosive, and he’s not very dangerous either." (PHOTO CREDIT: Jason da Silva-USA TODAY Sports)

How does Mendes see the fight ending?

“Basically, the way he wins these fights is just grinding these guys out and wearing them down, out-grappling them. It matches up great for me. I have the higher wrestling pedigree; I’m more explosive, and more of an athlete all around. I just have to go out there and be smart – I know he’s going to be looking to take me down, and hopefully I can land a heavy one on his chin. One thing I’ve noticed watching his fights is that he can take a heavy punch – I’ve seen him get hit three or four times in a row with big, heavy punches, and he’s able to come back. Of course, Guida was able to do that too though, so it’s definitely a possibility. I think that I can knock this guy out.” (PHOTO CREDIT: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)

UFC featherweight Chad Mendes is an accomplished wrestler with the ability to take most opponents down and control action from above if so desired. However, “Money” will never be mistaken for a one-dimensional grappler based on his recent run of success in the Octagon. The 28-year old has scored knockouts in a quartet of consecutive clashes since falling to champion Jose Aldo and will seek a record fifth straight on Saturday night when he locks horns with Nik Lentz at UFC on FOX 9. Mendes recently spoke to UFC.com about his upcoming tilt where he expressed confidence in his ability to end Lentz’s evening with strikes, basked in the pressure of fighting in his proverbial backyard of Sacramento, and made it clear he’s out for another crack at the title in 2014.